


Interim

by archeradicators



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Banter, M/M, one of them is really bad at giving compliments, or it probably wont because both of them are idiots, the other one is really bad at receiving compliments, what happens next will astound you!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-18 12:44:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21861055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archeradicators/pseuds/archeradicators
Summary: The two of you proceed to have the most awkwardly silent walk up to the roof that may possibly ever happened in the history of all of paradox space. Then again, when is a conversation with Equiusnotthe most awkward thing in all of paradox space?
Relationships: Karkat Vantas/Equius Zahhak
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	Interim

“Can I talk to you,” Equius says more than asks, as all of the rest of you clear out of the strategy room in your hive. He's got his hair wrapped around his finger in that way he always does when he's got something on his mind. God, do you really not feel like dealing with this same fucking issue of your blood again, for the millionth-trillionth-billionth time. But you know he's probably not going to do what you really fucking need him to be doing if he's distracted by his internal world of hoofbeastshit, so you roll your eyes and acquiesce. 

“Sure, whatever,” you say, sighing. “Hit me- Not seriously, Zahhak. What could you possibly want when we're just about to go finish this fucking thing?”

“I uh. Hm,” he starts, twiddling his hair around anxiously, “I have been thinking about something you said to me a while ago recently, and I can't seem to get it out of my head.”

You don't remember immediately what exactly he's talking about, so you squint at him. It makes him sweat _just_ a little more than he already was and you inwardly cringe. 

“What is it?” You ask, sitting down just in case what he's about to say is batshit off the belfry. 

“It was er... It was about the status of your leadership, in one of those old memos.” 

“Oh. What about it? You're not seriously going to start complaining about me _now_?”

“No, no. I just thought it would be the correct course of action to tell you that I have reversed my previous opinion of your abilities, given how I had been treating you. You certainly have proven me wrong, you know.”

It hits you all at once, the log he's referencing. It wasn't a private message, or even a series of them. It was one of the first memos you remember writing. Team Adorabloodthirsty? Or some stupid bullshit like that. 

“Oh.” _Oh._ Oh shit. The conversation flashes through your mind as quickly as you can search for it, and you're trying to remember anything awkward or weird you might have insinuated and... 

Didn't you tell him you expected him to... kiss your ring like a pauper would a noble? Or some shit like that? Fuck. Does he want to do that now? Is that why he started this conversation? Shit.

“That is all I really wanted to say,” he says, though you've spent enough time around him at this point to notice the nervous shuffle from side to side he's doing really says the opposite. “If we have no other business here, I'll take my leave to finish verifying our team's preparations.”

“No, wait a second,” you say, despite yourself. “You seem like you have more you wanted to say.”

He stops mid-stride out of the door and freezes momentarily before turning back around to face you. “I er. That truly is all, Vantas. It's been difficult to work with you but ultimately your decisions for our group have been the correct ones, and I can respect that.”

“We both know you're skirting around the part of that memo where I made fun of you in front of everyone else, and I'm getting kind of suspicious that's why you brought it up in the first place.”

“Ah.” He sighs, seems to get rid of some of that nervous energy he'd been sitting on, and leans against the door frame with his arms crossed. Still guarded even though both of you know you hit the nail on the head. God, you hate him. “So you remember that conversation and were planning on letting me make a fool of myself.”

“No, _you_ ,” you jab at him with your pointer finger, “were _clearly_ trying to bring that up without actually bringing it up, just so you could think about it by yourself like some sort of freak! Tell me, do you think about me often when you're alone, Zahhak?” 

“I was just giving you context for where my sentimentality was coming from,” he huffs, flipping his hair over his shoulder brusquely. You can feel the eye-roll from where you sit in your chair, across the room. “I think so little of you that it amazes me that I can even perceive you right now. Learn how to accept a compliment.” 

You stand up.

“It's not a compliment when you're just brazenly fishing around for my attention like this! Let's cut the hoofbeastshit, Equius. You brought it up on purpose. What do you want?” You pause, glaring at him like you could melt whatever metaphorical ice he seems to suddenly have encased himself in, because he's not even reacting. “Don't make me drag it out of you,” you add, a nervous spike climbing your spinal cord, “Just admit you wanted to talk about that from the beginning.” 

“Talk about what, Vantas?” Shit, he's got you cornered. He doesn't even seem like he's pretending to be confused with that small smirk across his face. 

“You know,” you bluster, caught off kilter by his refusal to bow, “I really don't have time to argue with you like this when we have a final boss to go kill.”

“Oh, you mean the part of the conversation where you told me I'd stand on my tippytoes and treat you like a king,” he continues, holding a hand level to where your height would be and pushing himself upwards to meet it while he talks. “Why in the world would I ever want to do something like that? I mean, you have earned a great deal of my respect, but I still would never prostrate myself before you like you seem to have wanted me to.” 

If he wanted to irritate you, he's succeeding. “Look, Equius, we don't have time to have this weird double-sided conversation about how much you want my foot on the back of your neck,” you tell him, which actually has him slouch back on the balls of his feet in what you can only assume is disappointment. “We actually have shit to do today.”

“No, you're right,” he sighs, “I apologize for making this weird. I genuinely did just want to tell you what I did to begin with.” 

You pass him in the doorway. 

“Thanks,” you say, “To tell you the truth, you're not so bad at this either. Maybe we can... talk about this later?”

“Uh, sure? Once we win, I assume?”

“Yeah, once we win.”

The two of you proceed to have the most awkwardly silent walk up to the roof that may possibly ever happened in the history of all of paradox space. Then again, when is a conversation with Equius _not_ the most awkward thing in all of paradox space?

**Author's Note:**

> Page 2543 is such a fun memo and I somehow managed to completely forget about it until yesterday.


End file.
